Sacrifice and Betrayal
by TX549
Summary: Jack goes on a mission that is born out of betrayal and is lost. Sam calls in a favor and goes rogue to get answers. Little long, but hope you bear with it. (Corrected summary)
1. Chapter 1 - Something Different

Sam came into the briefing room and smiled at Daniel who was already seated and drinking what was most likely his second or third coffee of the morning. "Good Morning Daniel"

"Hey Sam." The grumpiness in his voice announced it was only his second cup of coffee.

Sam could relate. SG1 had been off world more than on Earth the last month exploring new gate addresses that had recently been discovered.

They both turned as Teal'c strolled in and nodded at each of them as he took a seat.

Sam looked around and then at her watch. "One minute to brief time."

Both Teal'c and Daniel shook their heads as General Hammond walked out of the office. "Take your seats" He said as he walked in. The three looked at him in shock.

'Sir, should I have General O'Neill paged?" Sam asked.

"SG1 is your team Colonel and you are here. I am ready for the brief." Hammond stated.

All three members of SG1 looked at each other in shock. Daniel spoke up first. "Sir, is Jack okay?"

Hammond looked at them. His look and his tone were unusually hard. "General O'Neill has been assigned other duties. Those duties are not going to be discussed at this time. Now, I have a limited time to get this briefing done. Shall we begin?"

All the members of SG1 shifted uncomfortably. While Hammond had been short with them in the past, it was in fact usually then Colonel O'Neill the reason for it. Now he was not there.

Deciding not to push, Daniel stood up and began.

At the end of the brief, Hammond looked at them. "This will be long one for you. We will open the gate every day at twelve hundred hours Zulu and expect radio contact. You have a go, see you in seven days."

As they stood up, Sam lingered a moment. "Sir?"

"Yes Colonel"

"Well, I was just curious. Is everything okay with General O'Neill?"

Hammond looked at her a moment and something in his expression changed, but only for a moment before he regained his normal composure. "General O'Neill has long been able to take of himself Colonel. Just worry about completing your mission and getting home."

"Yes sir." She replied and turned to the door. She looked back, but Hammond had already gone back to Jack's office.

She decided to seek out the one person who would have the answer. She needed to find the man who always had the answers. She walked downstairs.

She found Walter studying the computer read out intently. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, Lt Colonel Carter, hi. No, just a glitch. The computer log dumped the last twenty fours out of the system. Not really a problem as no one went anywhere, but I wanted to back up everything in case it happens again." Walter explained.

"Oh, well, I will look at it for you when I get back." Sam offered.

"Okay. Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason you stopped by?"

"Oh, yeah. Just wondering if you happen to know where General O'Neill might be?" Sam asked.

She saw unease pass over Walter's face momentarily. "I assumed he was going to see you go off world in an hour."

"No, not this time. I will talk to him later then. I need to get ready. I will see you later." Sam said as she walked to the stairs. She had to get to the infirmary for her pre-departure medical screening.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Missing

Seven days later SG1 came back through the gate. They were mildly surprised to find Jack was not there waiting with Hammond. "SG1 was it successful?"

"Yes sir. We found some devices to study, and found a tablet with several gate addresses we don't think we have. Maybe some more allies or at least technology or trading partners." Sam replied.

"Glad to hear it. Debrief in thirty minutes."

"Yes sir." Sam replied as they walked toward the door.

"Doctor Jackson, will you come to my office as soon as you turn in you gear please?" Hammond asked.

Glancing at Sam, Daniel said "Yes, sir. Be right there."

Twenty minutes later, Sam and Teal'c came into the briefing room. They could see through the window that Daniel and Hammond were still talking. Sam looked at Teal'c. "Wonder what is going on?"

"I could not offer an informed guess Colonel Carter." Teal'c replied.

Sam smiled as she sat down to wait.

A few moments later the door opened and Daniel came out carrying a large envelope. Sam could see that he had been very upset. He did not even acknowledge her or Teal'c when he went by and out the door.

Sam looked at Hammond. "Sir?"

"Doctor Jackson has to take care of some things. He will be exempt from debrief." Hammond said as he sat down.

After the debrief Sam went to hunt Daniel up. She found his lab dark and closed up. Surprised, she checked a few other places. Not finding him, she went back to her lab to check on things. She had a few things to do before she needed to get home. On a whim, she called the entrance checkpoint and found that Daniel had signed out almost immediately after his talk with General Hammond. She dialed his cell and got no answer. She left a voicemail telling him to call, shut down the lab and left.

The next day Sam was in her lab when she decided to find Daniel. His lab was closed. She knocked but received no answer. _Odd_. She then went to find Teal'c.

He was in the gym sparring with members of SG3. He acknowledged her presence with a nod, but did not take his eyes off his opponent. After Teal'c had taken down his opponent and they had bowed to each other, he walked over to her. "Colonel Carter, may I help you?"

"Have you seen Daniel? I was kind of worried about him."

"No I have not. I am concerned as well. I am also concerned that no one on this base other than General Hammond seems to know the location of General O'Neill."

Sam looked at him in surprise. Teal'c had apparently been prying to try and get information. "I think I am going to talk to General Hammond again" She said as she turned to walk out. Teal'c was immediately in step with her.

When they got to the office, they were surprised to see Daniel there, talking to Hammond. Sam could sense the mood was somber. Hammond looked up at her, then visibly sagged and waved them in.

"Colonel, Teal'c, have seat." Hammond said.

Sam looked closely at Daniel. She could tell he had gotten very little sleep. She watched as he gathered up papers and placed them in a folder, ensuring that no one could see what was on them as he did.

"Sir?"

"A few days ago, a Tok'ra operative came and asked for our help. There was word of another Anubis style super ship that was being constructed. We assume Ba'al has obtained most of his technology." He looked at them, to gauge their reaction. "They asked for help infiltrating the base, and taking out the ship."

Sam looked at her team and then back at Hammond. "Do we need to be ready to help sir?"

Hammond looked down and Sam caught Daniel sagging back into his chair out of the corner of her eye. "Sir, what is going on?"

"General O'Neill went on the mission Major."

"What?! By himself?" She asked incredulously.

"The Tok'ra requested him specifically. It was felt that based on the security at the base being set up for a large frontal assault; a one or two man team could get in." Hammond stated.

"Sir, that sounds crazy. And why did the Tok'ra ask for the General? They know how he feels about them." Sam asked, her agitation growing.

Hammond looked down. "Yes, they are aware that of how he feels about them, but never the less, they asked, and he volunteered. He left twelve days ago to meet a Tok'ra operative with a ship to insert him onto the planet."

Sam looked surprised. "What Tok'ra would Jack trust enough to….Oh my God! It was Dad wasn't it?" She asked.

"Jacob did not trust the mission or the Tok'ra specifically asking for Jack. He felt the only way to ensure someone watched Jack's back was for him to do it." Hammond replied. He paused a moment, then continued. "Both Jacob and Jack have been missing for over ten days now. I was forced to report Jack as officially MIA yesterday."

Sam's heart dropped to the floor. "Sir, let us go get him." She pleaded

"I am sorry Colonel. It is too dangerous. That is why Jack went alone. In fact, he specifically requested that no one be allowed to follow him based on the danger. I am sorry."

Teal'c now spoke up. "General Hammond, you have only mentioned they are missing, you have not stated they are dead. Is it not possible that one or both of them will complete the mission and return?"

"Right now, Teal'c, anything…" Hammond was interrupted by the Gate beginning to spin and alarms going off indicating an unscheduled activation. They all got up and ran to the control room as the vortex formed. Walter engaged the iris.

A moment later he looked up. "Tok'ra IDC sir."

Hammond turned to the stairs. "Open it"

As the all ran to the gate room, they watched as Jacob stepped through. He immediately went to his knees. SG1 ran up the steps to grab him as Hammond yelled for a medical team.

Hammond walked up the ramp. Jacob opened his eyes and looked at him. "I'm sorry George. I lost him." He then slipped into darkness. Sam felt like she had been punched in the gut. She vaguely remembered the medical team coming to take Jacob to the infirmary and Teal'c helping her up.


	3. Chapter 3 - Explanation

Later, in the infirmary, Dr. Brightman was briefing them. "He is in pretty bad shape, but stable. He was hit by a staff blast, and looks like he might have been in a fight or two. His symbiote should be healing him, but does not seem to be working as fast as expected. I stitched him up and treated the staff blast as well as I could in order to maybe try and help. He needs rest. That is the best thing for him right now."

Hammond nodded. Indicating Sam he turned to the doctor. "Is there any reason she cannot remain with him?"

"As long as she does not disturb his rest, then no. She can stay." The doc replied.

As everyone turned to leave Sam she looked at Hammond. "Sir, he didn't say General O'Neill was gone, just lost. There is a chance that he will come back. Maybe he is hiding."

Hammond looked at Daniel, then back to her. "Colonel, due to the mission risk, General O'Neill didn't take a GDO with him. Even if he could dial back, he can't open the iris. Jacob was his way of getting back, either with the Tok'ra GDO or Jacob's ship."

Sam looked devastated. She fought back tears as she nodded and walked over to Jacob and sat down.

The others left her alone.

Sam came into the commissary early that morning. She saw Daniel sitting at the usual table. She got her breakfast and walked over to him. As she sat down, Daniel looked up startled. "Oh, Sam, sorry. How is Jacob?"

"Still sleeping but seems to be peaceful" She replied. She looked at him in concern. "How are you Daniel?"

He got up quickly. "Sorry Sam, I need to go. I will talk to you later." Before she could say anything, he turned and left. She looked at the door, stunned.

She returned to the infirmary and found her father had awakened. "Hey kid. How are you?"

"Good Dad. How about you? Feeling better?" Sam asked. She wanted to ask why Selmak was so slow to heal him, but was not sure how to bring it up.

"Yeah, getting there. Selmak is getting a little long in the tooth and it takes a little more effort to heal me now days." Jacob said, hinting that the ancient Tok'ra was showing her age.

"Oh"

"Sam, I am sorry about Jack." Jacob said.

"Dad, what happened? And why did the Tok'ra specifically request General O'Neill?" Sam asked.

Jacob sighed. 'We got there and made out way to the base. Once we were inside, Jack was to make his way to the power generation system. A patrol stumbled over us. Blind luck. Blind bad luck. We ended up in a shootout. Our cover blown, horribly outnumbered, Jack ordered me to retreat." Jacob paused and gave a half laugh, "He actually said to get back because you still needed me. He chased the Jaffa down the hall, away from me. All I know is as I was making my way back; there was a loud explosion in the hall. I'm sorry Sam, but I do not see how anyone could have survived it."

Sam refused to let herself think the worst. "And your involvement?"

"Sam, you know that Selmac and I are not favorites among the leaders of the Tok'ra anymore." Seeing her nod, he continued. "When our operative was able to smuggle out the information on the base and the ship, we knew we had to act. Also, as you know, the Goa'uld are on the ropes. Their domination is over and the remnants fight to cling to power. There are some among the Tok'ra who are nervous that the Tauri are the dominant force now. They felt after so many years of fighting you came in and took over. And almost everyone in the Tok'ra are aware how Jack feels about us."

"Dad, General O'Neill would never…"

"Sam, I know, but Jack was the leader of the premier team of this world. And God knows Jack would never acknowledge it, but his word carries a lot of weight both here and on other planets. That kind of influence worries the High Council on the Tok'ra's place in the future. I think that is the reason they asked for Jack. While true he was uniquely qualified to pull off the mission, if something went wrong and he were lost, I don't think too many in the High Council would worry about it. I have been unable to uncover just exactly who it was that requested Jack, so the best I could do was try and circumvent the plans by helping him."

Sam was in shock. Their allies, her father's people, had set Jack up. Hoping he would succeed, but not caring if he failed. Jacob saw the look crossing her daughter's face.

"Sam, you have to know I never wanted anything to happen to Jack. I specifically went to help him." Jacob said.

"Did you tell him what was going on Dad?" Her voice full of accusation.

A hurt look crossed Jacob's face. "Of course I did Sam. I even advised him and George to turn down the mission. Jack felt it was too good an opportunity to pass up. He knew we could not let that ship get off the ground."

Sam nodded. _That sounded like Jack_. She knew her feelings were on edge. She needed a moment to herself. "Dad, I need to run to my lab. Do you mind?"

"No Sam, you go ahead. I need to rest some more." As she turned away, something that had been bugging Jacob made came to mind. "Sam?"

She turned to look at him.

"Was everything okay here?"

She looked surprised. "Why?"

"It's just that Jack was unusually very quiet on the trip and when I teased him about leaving his team behind, he made some remark about things moving on without him. I never could get any more out of him."

Sam clamped down on the surge of emotions she felt wanted to burst forward. She forced herself to not react. "As far as I know I know things were fine." She said tonelessly.

"Okay, well, I don't know. I just can't help but think he was not in a mindset for a mission like this and I missed it and let him go to…" His voice trailed off.

"Dad, General O'Neill is many things, but one thing he is not, is someone who lets personal issues or thoughts cloud his judgment when it comes to mission success."

Jacob smiled. "I guess. So how is going with you and Pete?"

Sam smiled. "Good Dad." Ignoring the searing pain in her gut. "I need to run." She turned and all but ran back to her lab.

She walked into her lab and could not hold back anymore. She closed the door and felt the tears come down. _How could he let himself be used like that? Sacrifice himself like that. And what did he mean moving on without him? Was that about her and Pete?_ She slid down against the wall to and sat on the floor.

She was broken out of her thoughts by her phone ringing. She got up and walked over to it. "Carter?"

"Sam, it's Daniel. I need you to come to the conference room please."

"Daniel, what's…?" but she realized the connection had already been broken. She looked at her computer. Seven emails from Pete. She decided she could not handle those right now and left for the conference room.

When she got there, she found Teal'c, Hammond and Daniel already there. Daniel had a stack of things in front of him. He refused to look Sam in the eye as she came in and sat down.

Hammond looked at everyone. "Okay folks, the reason we are here. A little while ago, the Tok'ra sent a cloaked vessel to the site. The ship and base are still there. The mission was a failure." He looked at the reactions of SG1. He continued on. "Based on the testimony of both Jacob and Selmak, it has been decided to try and come up with a new plan that will take out that ship."

"General Hammond, what of General O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

Hammond sighed. "Also based on the testimony of Jacob and Selmac, Jack is officially being listed as KIA. There will be no attempt to recover the body."

Sam sat back, feeling her eyes water up. "Sir, Dad did not see Jack die…"

Hammond looked at her. He did not miss the use of O'Neill's first name. "Colonel, the Tok'ra forwarded us a communication from their operative on the base. He specifically heard the First Prime report the death of the infiltrator and said the body would be recovered and" he paused a moment to gather his thoughts, "Proof would be provided as soon as it could be removed from the body."

Stunned silence.

"Doctor Jackson has something to say. Doctor?" Hammond started to get up.

"Sir, please stay. You are included." Daniel said.

Hammond merely nodded and sat back down.

Daniel picked up something from the piles of papers on the table. "As you know, I have known Jack a long time. I met him before that first mission to Abydos and I can honestly say that I cannot explain it, but he and I became friends and someone I truly admired." His voice broke a minute. He recovered, and then continued. "Apparently Jack made me in executor of his will."

Sam felt like she had been kicked in the stomach at the mention of Jack's will.

Daniel handed out envelopes. "It will take a little while longer to process the paperwork needed to open Jack's will, but he apparently left me instructions in case it was likely he would not return. First off were these letters. To be read at your convenience, his words, not mine. There are some things spelled out in each one. I will get with each of you on a one on one basis and pass on some additional things that Jack had asked me to pass on."

Everyone looked at their envelopes. Hammond moved first. "Thank you Doctor Jackson. If you people don't mind, I am going to my office. Sam could see he was fighting back tears as he left. Her own envelope sat in her lap like a dead weight. She looked up as Teal'c took his envelope and walked out the door, saying not a word to anyone. Sam knew this would hit him hard. He looked to Jack as a fellow warrior and a brother.

She sighed and got up and started to walk over to Daniel who was looking at papers. He looked up when she approached. "Are you going to be okay Daniel?"

He looked like a lost kid. As much as he and Jack would never admit it, they were the best of friends, and more importantly, Jack had protected him like a brother. He had even made sure that the less patient military members of the SGC treated Daniel with kid gloves. Sam also knew that as much as Jack drove Daniel up a wall, he respected Jack, and trusted him to always bring them home.

She was shocked when she saw Daniel's eyes harden. "Sam, if you don't mind, I would like a moment. I will come find you later okay?"

"Sure Daniel" She said, working to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Back in her lab, she had five more emails from Pete. Pete did not have her work number and her cell was off down here and so email was the only way to communicate. She began to sort through them and answer each one, so as to make sure she did not miss anything. The last few were him wanting her to come home so they could out to dinner at a decent time. To be honest, she did not feel like going out to dinner.

A knock at her door made her look up. Daniel was standing there. "Busy?"

"No, I was just answering and email from Pete." She saw Daniel's face cloud over a moment, and then he half smiled. "I can come back." He turned to leave.

"Daniel! Enough. I know you are upset about Jack. So am I. But why are you taking it out on me?" She asked

"Sam…" He sighed. He looked as if he was going to say something, and then deflated. "Sam, I don't know when Jack wrote this stuff up for…in case…anyway, I think he wants you to take care of his house and truck."

"His house?" She repeated.

"Like I said, he probably wrote this before Pete, so I am sure he didn't mean to cause a problem. I know he always felt you needed someplace to call your own, not just a rental." He paused. "Well anyway, his only stipulation is that Cassie can continue to live there until she graduates or marries, and then you can do whatever with it."

"Cassie is at college Daniel" Sam said confused. She could see by Daniel's surprised look there was more to the story.

"Sam, Cassie has lived with Jack for months now. He turned his basement into a mini apartment for her. When she comes home, she stays with Jack. We assumed…well, we thought you knew"

"Well, she always divided her time between us, you know that. All of SG1 is her family, but since Janet is gone, Jack and I have been her guardians. But how often does she come home?" Sam asked, wondering what was going on.

"Cassie had a hard time of it for a while. Things came back to haunt her and the boy she was dating at the time…well, he was a jerk. She actually wanted to quit college. You remember that leave Jack took about 5 months ago? Said he had to help a family member out?" Seeing her nod, Daniel continued, "Jack went and stayed in a hotel so he could be close to Cassie. He stayed and helped her through the patch, and I went to make sure he did not actually kill the boyfriend." He smiled a little at the memory. "I honestly thought he was going to. The kid mouthed off to him; luckily Jack did not have his sidearm. As it was I could barely keep him off the kid. But he did put the fear of God in him. From what I understand, word got around too. Cassie said it was a long time before boys would talk to her again out of fear of her 'father' going nuts on them." He said.

Sam looked at him. "She never mentioned it to me"

"Yeah, well I would appreciate if you did not tell her it came from me." Daniel stated. "Anyway, right after he got back, Teal'c and I helped him turn the basement into a mini-apartment so Cassie could come home and have a little privacy, but still feel like people she knew and trusted were close. We all stayed at the house the first weekend she came to visit. Teal'c and I try and make sure at least one of us is there when she comes home to help out if something comes up and Jack needs advice. She seems to be better, now though and since Jack is gone…" his voice trailed off.

"Why did not one say anything to me?" Sam said. She knew Jack was perfectly capable of helping Cassie, although she had secretly feared what would happen if a boy hurt Cassie. She could easily see Jack losing control there, but they always kept each other in the loop when it came to Cassie. Now she finds out a major event happened and Cassie had needed help, and she was not even told.

"Sam, you have been more than a little…umm busy. Cassie came to Jack. You know Jack would never turn her down."

"Daniel, I have not been that busy. I even go home early most nights now, and spend my weekends at…" It hit her. She went home to Pete and spent her weekends with Pete.

Daniel watched as the gears spun and Sam made the connection. "Look, Sam, I think Cassie felt just a little uncomfortable with Pete always around is all." He made a small dry laugh. "It's not like you have seen much of Teal'c and I either since you…well, anyway, I came to tell you that. I also wanted to tell you that if caused a problem between you and Pete, I would look after the house and the truck until, well; you two figure something out or whatever. That way you would not have to worry about it." Daniel started walking to the door. "Let me know" He called over his shoulder.

"Daniel?" Sam called out.

"Yeah?" He did not turn around to look at her.

"Why did Jack volunteer for this?"

She saw Daniel visibly wilt. He did not turn around. "I would let that go Sam." And then he paused. Looked at her. "I am going by Jack's in bit. Cassie is coming home for the weekend and Teal'c and I are going to explain to her what is going on."

Sam felt the anger coming out now. "Were you not going to let me talk to her?" She asked angrily.

Daniel looked surprised. "Sam, the whole damn trip you talked about your big trip to Denver with Pete this weekend. You knew Jack was gone then, just not like this. You did not question it. Both of us brought it up and you did not even acted like you heard. You just talked about your exciting trip with Pete. Neither one of us wants you to miss something that is so important to you." Daniel could feel his temper rise with his voice and knew he was being unfair with her. He had to calm this down. "Sam, look, go visit your dad. Have fun with Pete. Think about the house and the truck, and let me know. I will help you if you need me to."

He walked off to leave Sam with tears running down her face.

She wiped her face as she shut down her lab. _Had she really been so oblivious to them and Cassie? Had she honestly managed to forget that Jack had been missing?_ She was going to talk to Cassie, hell or high water. She needed Cassie to know how important she was and that nothing was going to change that. Plus, a plan began to from in her head. She went to see her dad. They talked for a bit and she got the information she wanted.


	4. Chapter 4 - Searching for Rocks

She then went to Jack's office and used her spare key to slip inside. She thought back to when Jack had given her the key. It had been right after Jolinar. Her emotions were still raw. He had caught her sitting in her lab, tears on her face. He simply walked over, took her by the arm and led her to his office. After he closed the door, he had sat her on the edge of the desk and held her while she cried. After she had finished crying it out, he let her go, saying only she would have privacy here, and locked the door behind him as he left. They never spoke of it again, however, she noticed one day she had a key on her desk with a note. 'You will always have a private place when you need'. He had never spoken of it, nor asked if she used it. She knew that technically, being the second in command of the base, Jack was privy to secrets and personnel files she should not have access to, so she cherished the high degree of trust he put into her by giving the key. Now, for the first time, she was effectively violating that. She began to dig in the drawers. _Not here_. She turned to the supply cabinet. _Not there. Where would he keep it_? She went back into the hall and locked the office.

When she reached topside she got into her car, started it and let it warm up while she made phone call.

Later she pulled into Jack's driveway and saw Cassie's car was there. She sighed deeply and got out. As she walked up the steps her arms were suddenly full of a young woman. "Sam, how are you?" Cassie pulled back and looked around. "You alone?" Sam could detect the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Yes, Cassie, I am alone." Sam replied, following Cassie into the house. She paused at the door. Cassie turned and looked at her. "I'm fine. Let's go into the living room. We need to talk a moment."

Cassie's face fell. "If this is because I haven't stopped by, I'm sorry. And please don't blame Jack. He told me I had to call you and threatened to tell you but I begged him not too. I just didn't feel like…"

Sam took her hand as she sat on the couch. "It's not about that Cassie."

Seeing Sam fighting back tears Cassie felt her nerves ramping up. "Sam, you are scaring me. What is going on?"

"It's Jack, he, he uh…, well he …" Then she burst into tears.

Cassie's eyes welled with tears when the realization hit her. "No." She whispered. She then gripped Sam tightly and they held each other tightly. After a few minutes Sam pulled back.

"Cassie, I need to tell you some, more. In fact I need your help. But I need you to understand that what I am telling you I have to do, okay?" Seeing Cassie looking at her confused while she nodded, Sam went on. "Cassie, everyone else, well except SG1 has given up on Jack. But we will get to that. I need to know if you have seen a smooth flat sided rock around here. Kind of like a polished stone about this big?" She held up the thumb and forefinger indicating the diameter.

Cassie now looked very confused. "No but it could be anywhere."

"We need it. I need it. Help me find it."

"Will it help bring back Jack?" Cassie asked

"I hope so" Sam said rising. She went up Jack's bedroom while Cassie searched downstairs. Sam first looked in the nightstands. Nope. She moved to the closet. Nothing obvious. Then at the back, she saw a small carved wooden box. _Aha_. She reached in and grabbed it. She felt a pang of guilt for violating Jack's privacy, but was willing to do anything to try and get him back. She opened the box and gasped. There were pictures in there. Of her. Taken on various missions, team nights and other outings. She immediately recognized the one on top. She pulled it out. Janet had taken the picture at a barbecue here at Jack's house. It was just her and Jack. He had said something that had made her laugh and in an unguarded moment she had leaned into his chest. Her head against his chest, hand on his shoulder. His hand was around her waist and she could see in his eyes the pure unguarded joy and happiness. She felt a tear run down her face as she carefully put the picture back. This box was his memories and she did not feel right violating them. As she was about to close the box, she noticed a small box in the corner. A jewelry box. Hesitantly she pulled it out and opened it. The ring was gorgeous. The diamond was low in its setting to avoid snagging, and had seven small red stones around the ring. She looked closer and realized the ring had engraved markings on it. _Oh my God, those are the gate coordinates for earth_. She then looked close at the band and realized it was engraved on the inside. She looked and her breath stopped. 'Always' This ring was meant for her. She had no doubt. _And I gave up on him and started a relationship with Pete._ She felt the tears flow freely as she carefully the ring back in the box and placed it back in the carved box. She put that back where she found it. She got up and began to wonder. _Where the hell else would he keep it_? Then she heard Cassie yelling for her.

Sam came running down to where Jack's office was. Cassie held up a stone. "Is this it?"

Sam walked over and looked at it. "Yes, it is. Where was it?"

Cassie motioned to the desk. "He was using it as a paperweight."

Sam could not help but giggle. "So like Jack." But she realized it was also a good idea. No one would think that something in the open was so valuable. "Okay Cassie, I don't know how long until I get a response, but you cannot, under any circumstances tell anyone what I am going to do. Okay?"

"Not even Teal'c and Daniel?"

"Honey, I could get in a lot of trouble for disobeying the Pentagon on this. I cannot drag Teal'c and Daniel into it."

Sam went back into the bedroom with the stone. She came back out to hear Cassie sitting with Daniel and Teal'c. They both looked at her when she came in, but she merely smiled.

Daniel spoke first. "Cassie said you told her. I am sorry you had to do that. I would have." This time his voice held sympathy for her.

"That's okay Daniel. I need to be her for her."

They all sat around the living room and eventually Jack stories came up. Most funny, some sad, and Sam noticed several variations with her involved. She felt her emotions getting the better of her and she slipped out of the house to climb to Jack's rooftop platform for viewing the stars. After a few minutes she heard light steps on the stairs and Cassie came up. "Sam?"

"He loves you know, Cassie. Like his own daughter. He thinks of you that way." Sam said.

"I know. He has really gone above and beyond for me the last few months." Cassie said quietly.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Can I get a rain check?"

"Cassie, you can talk to me anytime you want. Nothing will ever take that away from you. You never have to worry about me being there for you. If you thought otherwise, then I am sorry."

Cassie walked over and gave her a hug. "Sam, I love you. You know that. I just, well…didn't want to intrude. It was just like Pete was your life now."

"Cassie, no one is more important to me than you are."

Cassie pulled back and looked at her. "That's what Jack told me. He said no matter what, I needed know that you will always love me and take care of me."

"Well, don't ever tell him I said this, but he is a wise man."

"He loved you" Cassie said quickly.

Sam was stunned. "What?"

"Jack loved you. It devastated him when you started to date Pete."

"Cassie, Jack and I care about each other, but…"

"Sam, you may have only cared about Jack, but I promise you, the man loved you deeply. I truly hope it is not too late, but if so, you just have to know that. You have to know that he loved you more than anything."

"How can you now that?" Sam asked still stinging from Cassie's comment about merely caring about Jack.

Cassie sighed. "I came home one night. It was supposed to have been one of your team nights, but I guess it was cancelled. I think you had a last minute date with Pete. Anyway, he was drunk. He had a box of pictures he was looking through. The pictures were all of you. Even drunk he could tell me the story behind everyone. What you were doing and what it meant to him at the time. You do not remember that without love."

Sam felt tears in her eyes. She moved to hug Cassie again when a bright flash of light took her.

Cassie smiled as she looked to where she had stood. "Bring him home Sam." She walked down the staircase.


	5. Chapter 5 - Following

Daniel and Teal'c watched her come in. "Where's Sam?" Daniel asked.

Cassie knew what Sam had told her, but she also knew that these two were family. "She called in a little help and went to find Jack."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a glance. "Uh, Cassie, the General was pretty specific. The Pentagon and the President said no rescue."

"I don't think the person helping her cares."

Again another glance. "Who is helping her?" Daniel asked.

"Thor, I think." She replied.

Teal'c and Daniel exchanged another glance. "Oh boy."

"Indeed"

On the ship Sam turned to see Thor. "Greetings Colonel Carter. You said it was urgent. I was unaware that O'Neill had given you the communication crystal."

"Thor! Good to see you. Thanks for coming." Sam replied. "Uh, Jack didn't exactly give me the crystal. I kind of borrowed it. I did it because I need your help. Jack needs your help."

Thor listened as Sam explained the details and what help she wanted. Of course, being Asgard, his expression was impossible to read. She realized she had greatly underestimated Jack when it came to dealing with them. He could pick up on their moods. At least Thor.

Thor walked to his controls and keyed in some commands. Equipment from the armory appeared as his ship took off into hypserspace.

"Lt Colonel Carter, you need be aware that this planet was a noted strong hold of Anubis. The last time I confronted him, his ship had power to withstand my attack. Although the Daniel Jackson is a superior design, there is a high probability that whatever we find, if it is of the same technology, I may not be able to handle it alone."

"Then drop me off and I will look by myself, but I have to go Thor."

They rode in silence while Sam checked gear. She looked up when the ship dropped from hyperspace. She walked to Thor.

He was busy scanning. "There is evidence of a massive explosion. If there was a ship here, it has been destroyed, as well as a good portion of the base. I find many dead Jaffa. I am currently scanning for O'Neill's DNA."

As she waited, an alarm went off. "What's going on?"

"A Goa'uld mother ship has entered the system" Thor replied. He glanced at a display.

"Beam me down, and leave" Sam said urgently

"Colonel Carter, it would not be safe for you to do that. I will stay." Thor replied

"Thor, I cannot risk you getting hurt or captured. We don't know what that ship is. Beam me down here" She said pointing at the map. "I will hunt for him. I can use the Stargate to escape to the planet where Dad left his ship if need be."

Thor looked at her. Sam could swear he actually looked upset but she could not be sure. "Very well." He reached down and handed her a small item.

"This scanner will pinpoint any DNA from O'Neill. It will also warn you of approaching life forms. Good luck" He said.

Sam was about to reply when she was suddenly on the planet.

She raised her weapon and looked around. She made her way to the camp. She came across four Jaffa laying half covered in the brush. "This must have been a patrol that Jack and dad took out." She looked around and tried to figure what Jack would have done next. _He would have made a smart ass remark and moved on_. She pressed forward.

She found a few more dead Jaffa as she moved closer. _Well, tracking him won't be a problem if he keeps leaving a trail of bodies everywhere_. She felt a stir of anxiousness and she realized just how efficient her CO could be at eliminating people if need be. She moved closer to the base. Her scanner beeped. She noticed it showed life signs. They were indicated in red. Jaffa. She crouched down and studied the indications with the map. She turned off the scanner and put it in her pocket. She moved off to the left to the tunnel that had given Jack access to the facility. She only made it about two hundred feet in when she ran into a destroyed section of the tunnel. _The blast dad described_. She took out the scanner and turned it back on. It immediately showed green flashing rapidly. _Jack's DNA. Her heart sank. So he was here, under all this rubble_.


	6. Chapter 6 - Hunter and Hunted

"Oh Jack, why did this have to happen?" She muttered to herself. She sank to her knees. She had no idea how long she stayed like that. She knew she had to move. She looked one more time at the pile of rubble.

"I am so sorry Jack. I never got to tell you how much I loved you."

She got up and moved back to the entrance. She reached to put the scanner back in her pocket when she noticed it still flashed green. She stopped and looked around. Then, on the floor, she noticed dark spots. She took out her flashlight and looked at them closer. _Dried blood_. She followed them back to the entrance. The scanner still flashed green. _Jack's blood. He was not injured going in, so it must have been him leaving_. She used the scanner to follow a trail out to the woods_. Well, he left. But he was wounded. Judging by the blood, he would have had to stop soon_.

She followed the trail into the woods and found two more dead Jaffa in the brush. One had a very visible knife wound to the neck. _He had to resort to hand to hand or wanted it to be quiet_. She noticed blood on the Jaffa's armor and scanned it. Jack's. But no way of knowing if it was the old wound or a new one. She followed her trail until it led her to a small hollow in a tree. The intensity of the scanner indicated a large deposit of DNA. Becoming more nervous she looked inside, but found nothing other than dirt. Looking close, she realized the dirt showed signs of having liquid poured on it. Blood. She heard a noise behind her. The scanner suddenly showed red dots. Moving her way. Patrol, she thought. Left with no options she hid in the hollow of the tree. Realizing it was getting dark and the patrol was close by, she decided to hole up for the night in the hollow.

She awoke with a start. She had been trying to stay awake as much as possible in case she was discovered, but exhaustion finally won. She had to think about her next step. _Mother ship most likely in the sky. Jaffa running around to pick up the pieces. Make that pissed off Jaffa_. Not only had Jack managed to leave a trail of Jaffa bodies to follow, there was no telling how many died in the actual explosion. Now she had to think. _What would he do? No GDO. Wounded. Being hunted. He would check the gate. If it was clear he would leave, if not, he would hole up_. Decision made. She checked her weapons and slowly crawled out. She took out the scanner and turned it on. It took her a moment of searching to find a trail. _That was good. He must have patched himself up some_. She refused to believe he had been captured.

She had stumbled over four more dead Jaffa on the way. _Jack was certainly creating a body count_. She looked at the gate. For some reason only two Jaffa guarded it. That did not seem right. Teal'c had always warned them that Jaffa rarely moved in units of less than four. She looked and watched. Sure enough, caught movement in the brush off to the left. _There they were. Hiding_. She studied the situation, and then decided on her course of action. She moved off to the left.

It took over two hours to position herself where she needed. She now had a clear view of the two Jaffa hiding in the brush and the two at the gate. She unclipped a grenade and pulled the pin, holding the lever. She then moved and studied the two by the gate. _Count_. She threw the grenade to the two Jaffa in the open. As soon as it left her hand she pulled her P90 up and fired on the Jaffa in the brush. The grenade went off. She turned to the Jaffa at the gate. One was down and the other visibly wounded by the grenade. She fired at them and finished them off, then ran to the DHD and dialed.

She jumped through the gate and came out running down the steps and promptly tripped. She rolled and looked to see what tripped her as the gate deactivated. _Good, no followers_. She looked at the dead Jaffa that had tripped her. She found a knife wound in his neck, similar to the last one. _Out of ammo or conserving it_? She began to worry. _Sooner or later, trying to defend yourself with just a knife against armored and armed Jaffa was going to be a losing proposition_.

She studied her surroundings a moment and then moved to where Jacob had said they had hid the ship. That is where Jack would go. As she moved off she heard the gate dial behind her. _Crap_. She dove into the nearest brush. The vortex opened and stabilized. She gasped as SG3 came out along with Daniel and Teal'c.

She started to rise when she heard Daniel state quite loudly "This is a bad idea. If she is looking for Jack, then I say we let her find him."

Colonel Reynolds turned to him. "Jackson, please keep quiet. Our orders are simple. Lt Colonel Carter violated orders. She is also AWOL."

He and Teal'c bent down to look at the dead Jaffa. There was no doubt between either of them this was O'Neill's work. "We are to find her and bring her back. Now let's move out."

Sam crouched lower. _So, they were looking for her_. She realized Daniel must have spoken so loud on purpose. _Did they know she was nearby_? She watched as SG3 spread out and walked. She noticed Teal'c studying the brush where she hid. She watched as he came closer. She quietly unclipped her Zat. While she had no desire to use it, she had no intention of going back.

Teal'c moved closer. He studied the brush. Sam could swear he looked right out her. He then turned and called out. "I see no sign of her advancing this direction." He promptly turned and walked back. Sam could not see knowing look he gave Daniel as he walked back. _Bless you Teal'c_.

Sam watched as Reynolds talked. "According to Jacob Carter, the ship is about four clicks that way if it's still there." He said pointing a totally different direction than Jacob had told Sam. _Thank you Dad_.

Daniel moved to the brush where she was hiding. "Hold on a second guys." He said as he walked into the brush. He walked until he was actually on about four feet from her. Sam suddenly had a feeling about what he was doing the brush and blushed despite herself. _Oh well, Daniel, guess no secrets between us._

Instead of doing what she thought he was going to, he stood there. He was muttering to himself. _Was he counting_? Then she saw him drop something and walk back.

She watched as the group moved off, then waited a few moments. She then moved to what he had dropped. She smiled. Two full P90 magazines and a note. She took the magazines and put them in her vest then read the note 'Sam, Hammond forced to hunt you down. Suspect high level NID involvement. Teal'c and I 'helping' to keep eye on things. Cassie fine.'

She smiled at Daniel's note. So someone is forcing Hammond to hunt her. _Figures_. She realized she needed to move. She turned and moved deeper into the brush and then slowly moved to where her Dad said the ship was stashed. As she moved, she heard the gate spin. She lowered to the ground as watched as the wormhole stabilized and eight Jaffa came out. She watched as they checked the body near the gate. _Crap, Reynolds may lead them back to an ambush_. She could not allow that. She waited and struggled with options. No matter what, she could not let them ambush SG3, Daniel and Teal'c. She watched as the Jaffa scouted the area. _She had to warn them, but how_? She could think of only one thing at the moment. _As Jack like to muse, no problem exists that cannot be handled by explosives_. She took out two grenades, pulled the pins and threw them to where the Jaffa stood talking.


	7. Chapter 7 - Lost and Found

"That was back at the gate." Daniel said.

Reynolds nodded. "Okay, two by two; stay down and close and let's see what the commotion is about." They made their way back in time the see the gate close. They looked and saw several dead Jaffa lying next to the one that met them. They also noticed several wounded. Reynolds and Teal'c exchanged a look. They slowly moved closer as one of the wounded Jaffa made it to the DHD and dialed. When the gate opened, he went through.

"Colonel Reynolds, the chances are high that he will in fact bring reinforcements. I suggest we either obtain our own reinforcements or retreat."

Reynolds looked around. "Grenading a bunch of Jaffa standing around looks like O'Neill's work."

"I concur; however, we know that is unlikely." Teal'c intoned.

"I agree, so Lt Col Carter must be near."

Teal'c did not say anything.

"We saw the vortex close when we approached, correct?"

"That is correct, Colonel Reynolds." Teal'c looked at him, eyebrow slightly raised.

"So it could be said, that was a sign that Lt Col Carter used grenades to be able to access the gate, then fled, correct?" He asked.

Teal'c was confused, but his face was impassive. "That is a possibility." He did not mention it unlikely Samantha Carter would abandon her search.

"And since we were too far away to note the symbols, then we have no idea where she could have gone, correct? She could have gone anywhere." Reynolds persisted.

Understanding appeared in Teal's eyes. "That is correct."

Reynolds nodded. He turned. He noticed his team had moved up to eavesdrop on the conversation. He looked at each member and received slight nods from each of them. "Okay, since we have no idea where Carter went and we are pretty sure more Jaffa are on the way, we are leaving. Agreed?" And then when he looked back at each member, "And we agree that there are just too many possible destinations she could have picked to make continued searching worthwhile?" Receiving nods he turned back and said "Move out"

As they approached the gate, Teal'c pulled his Zat out and used it on the wounded Jaffa. The then watched as the gate dialed up. He noticed Colonel Reynolds hung in the back by the DHD. Reynolds quickly pulled two grenades out of his pocked and dropped them. He looked at Teal'c and nodded as they made their way to the gate.

Sam watched them leave. She scrambled over to the DHD and picked up what she had seen Reynolds drop. Two grenades. One had a small note stuck under the spoon. She looked at the note as she put the grenades in her pouch, replacing the two she had just used. "Good luck"

She smiled and turned and jogged to the direction of the ship. She pulled out her scanner and turned it on. Nothing. She carefully walked to the landmarks her father gave her. She moved near some rocky outcroppings. Her scanner beeped and flashed green. She turned and backed up. The then used the scanner to follow a trail. It left to the rocky outcroppings. She got closer. She realized the only reason Jack would stop was if he was too injured to make it to the ship and felt he needed to rest. She looked around. Sneaking up on him injured would most likely not be a good idea. She backed up slowly and crouched. Then she noticed. A spot in the trail that looked disturbed. She crawled up and studied the area. She finally noticed the almost invisible strand across the trail. She looked to the right and saw it was tied off to the bottom of a bush; she looked to the left and saw the hidden grenade. She was on the right track. She searched her pockets and found some twine. She carefully took some out and wrapped it around the grenade, tying the spoon down. She then disconnected it from the line across the trail.

She crawled forward some more. She found the second trip wire. She could not tell what it went to though. She studied it for at least ten minutes. She decided the safest thing was to bypass it; however, she was sure Jack would have been prepared for that as well. Damn. She was dealing with a master. She remembered back to when they had gone to get him from P7S-441. When he was trapped with the fake Lt Tyler, he had managed to booby trap the entire landscape and decimate the Jaffa tracking them. _I cannot compete with that_. She made her way back and made a wide path around. After about an hour and a half, she made her way back to the general path she had been following. She used the scanner as she studied the landscape. The scanner glowed green with an arrow. _Have not seen the arrow before_. She carefully moved, watching intently for traps. At the foot of the rocks, she looked. She almost missed it. A small darkened area about ten feet up. _A cave_? She slowly began to make her way toward it, and then stopped. She again crouched and began to crawl. She found the tripwire about five more feet in front of her. This one to a claymore. As she disarmed it, she wondered just how much armament Jack had carried with him.

She edged to the cave entrance and looked in. At first she could not see anything, and then her eyes adjusted. She gasped; lying in the cave, on his back was Jack. She could see his uniform was shredded and covered in blood. She moved in. "Jack?"

The flash of steel came so quick she almost did not have time to react, as it was she felt a searing pain across her arm as she tried to back away. "Jack, it's me" she cried as she gripped her arm in pain.

Jack's eyes focused. "Carter? What the hell are you doing here?"

She noticed his voice sounded extremely weak.

"Oh God, did I hurt you?" he sounded concerned.

She heard him shuffle as she realized he was moving to check on her.

She quickly moved back towards him. "I will be okay Jack." She saw him reach out to her arm. She knew he would not be satisfied until he saw. She took out her first aid kit and began to wrap her arm.

"Why are you here Colonel?" She noticed that though weak, his voice had a steely edge to it.

As she wrapped her arm, she looked at him. "I came to find you, sir. No one left behind, remember?"

"Dammit, I left orders, no one to follow. When the hell are you finally going to learn to listen to what you are ordered to do?"

The rebuke stung her to the core, but she knew better than to say anything.

He looked as if he was going to say more, then fell backward. She rushed over to him. She looked down and carefully pulled the knife from his hands and put it aside. She felt for a pulse. Weak, but steady. He just passed out. She began to assess his wounds. He had more deep cuts and minor abrasions than she could count. She found several he had stitched on his own. He had been hit at least once with a staff blast and been grazed a couple of more times. She could hardly believe he made it this far. She treated and bandaged what she could with what she had. She decided that she would have to find the ship and bring it back. He would never make the trip. She knew she could not get him to the gate. If she could get him to the ship, she could fly to the gate though and check and see if it was open enough to use. She pulled out a thermal blanket and wrapped him in it.

After about four hours, he stirred. "Sam" he muttered. He then got quiet. An hour later he stirred again. "S…Carter, you really here?"

"Yes, sir, right here" She answered.

He sighed. "Why the hell didn't you listen to orders and stay put?"

"You know I can't do that. We don't leave people behind, sir. You taught us that." She replied.

"That was SG1 Colonel. Your team. I am not SG1. I am not your…" He stopped. "anything" he added weakly.

Sam felt the tears well up in her eyes. "That is not true. You will always be part of SG1. And you will always be important to me."

"Colonel, go. Go to the gate, or go find the ship. You need to go home. I can't make it right now. Just go and be safe."

She looked at him. "You cannot seriously think I would leave you here?"

"Sam, I knew what I was getting into."

"Yeah, well so did I when I came looking for you." She shot back.

"Colonel, please, go. I will rest up, and make my way back. You need to go. Go and be safe and be happy." He pleaded.

She looked at him. She could see sadness in his eyes. Regret. Darkness. There was none of the warmth for her that used to always be there. The warmth that he had for her. She could not begin to describe how bad it hurt her that he continually tried to use her rank instead of her name.

"I am not leaving you." She said with conviction.

"Colonel, it will be days before I can try and get out of here. I am sure you have important stuff to see and do. This was a write off mission. I came knowing that. Arrangements are already being made to accommodate the personnel change."

"Personnel change? Is that what it is? Is that what you consider it when a member of the SGC dies?"

"You know better than that."

She could see he was deeply hurt by that and immediately felt sorry.

"Colonel, just go. Go back to your life. Take care of Cassie. She really could use you right now. Go see your boyfriend. Just go. If I can make it back I will. Just leave." She saw his eyes were hard. He was determined to make her leave.

She didn't say anything. She was too hurt. After everything she went through to get here. All they had been through together, how could he expect her to just walk away.

As if reading her mind, he gently said. "Colonel, it is okay to go. I understand. They need you at home. Cassie needs you. And God knows that Daniel needs you to watch out for him. He is just itching to touch something he shouldn't. I made my peace. And you finally found someone…you deserve." He sagged back to the ground. He was so tired. His eyes closed.

She moved over to him and checked his pulse again. Still weak, but steady. She looked at her watch. She walked to edge of the cave to judge the daylight remaining. She turned and walked back and kneeled beside him. She noticed his was perspiring. She felt his forehead. He was extremely hot to the touch. He has a bad fever, she thought. She had not even realized that he had a fever on top of everything else.

At his touch he muttered. "Go, be safe, and be happy. I...used to…alone. Die…alone"

She felt the tears flow at his words. _You are not alone. Can't you see that_? She got up and walked to entrance. She took a look back at him, and walked out of the cave.


	8. Chapter 8 - Failure to Leave

She returned about two hours later. She carefully noted that at some point and time he had gripped the knife so she cautiously approached and kicked his boot. He rolled, while swinging the knife in an arc in front of him. He tried to coil his legs under him to stand but fell back down. When he finally realized who it was, he calmed down. "Sa…Colonel, I thought I gave you an order to leave." He demanded as he slid back down.

"Don't recall that, sir" She said as she walked over and pulled him to his feet, getting under his arm to support his weight. She began to force him toward the entrance.

"Where do you think you are taking me?"

"The ship is right down the hill. I am taking you to it." She replied.

"Colonel…"

"Jack, with all due respect, shut up and walk." She ordered with steely resolve.

He didn't respond at all but she could tell he tensed. She refused to look at him as she worked to get him down the hill. Once at the ship she had moved up, she lowered him to the floor and got to the controls. She took off and headed to the gate. _Damn_. She could see at least twelve Jaffa by the gate. She moved to increase altitude when she felt the ship rock. They were shooting at it. She climbed. _Guess we do it the slow way_.

Once in space, she set a course for Earth and engaged the hyperdrive. She set the auto system to allow the ship to navigate itself and went to check on Jack. His eyes opened and she could tell he was upset. "I gave you a direct order Colonel Carter. I would like to know what in that brilliant mind of yours made you think to ignore it."

She merely smiled and said "I had a great teacher. Now you need to rest." She took off her blouse and rolled it into a pillow and made him lean back onto it and then covered him with the thermal blanket.

She went back to the controls. At this rate it would be six days to reach earth. She should try and find a planet with a gate and get home quicker. She was studying the charts when she heard Jack muttering. She moved over to him. His fever was still extremely high and he was very pale. She began to check him over. She lifted his shirt and noticed the huge purple swelling on his ribs. His abdomen was distended. He was bleeding internally. "Oh Jack, what the hell were you thinking?"

She reached down and caressed his cheek. He stirred and eyes opened. "Ca…Colonel?"

She flinched slightly, knowing he was forcing himself to address her formally. "Sir, you are bleeding internally. I can't stop it."

"It's okay. You tried." He said simply. His eyes closed.

She checked his pulse. She then went back to the charts. She noticed a highlighted planet one day away. She could not tell what the symbols meant, but she hoped it was Tok'ra for 'Stargate to Earth here.' She set the course.

Several hours later she heard Jack stirring. She left to check on him. He was sleeping more than awake now, and impossibly his fever was higher. He had gotten more pale. "Sam…"

"I'm here Jack." She took his hand in hers. At first she thought he would pull it back, but he finally wrapped his fingers around hers.

"You need…Colonel…just…want…happy."

She couldn't make out what he was trying to say. He wanted her to be happy or him to be happy or both. She felt his hand go slack as his eyes closed again. His face relaxed.

"Sir? Jack?" She shook him. Getting no response she checked his pulse. She panicked at first but finally found it. It was extremely weak. She fought back tears as she sat and held his hand. She sat for a moment, then pulled the letter out Daniel had given her. She had not read it yet. She slowly opened the envelope and read.

"Sam, if you are reading this, then I must have really messed up. Guess it was only a matter of time. Anyway, I am sure you will find out eventually, but I divided my stuff up amongst SG1. You guys were my family. I don't mean to cause issues between you and Pete, so I asked Daniel to be willing to look after things until you worked something out, or take care of it if you told him to. I watched you grow from a young, bright eyed, chip on the shoulder Captain to a seasoned leader I was proud to serve with. Along the way, I got stupid and allowed myself to feel things I should never have, and for that I am sorry. I understand why you wanted them locked in the room, and glad you managed to finally find your happiness. I regret putting you in a position to make you uncomfortable. I guess in the end, it all works out and people finally find the path they deserve. You are a strong determined leader and you will go far. I wish you the best. Take care of Cassie and enjoy life. Jack"

She felt the tears running down her cheeks. It stung her heart that he felt the need to apologize for having feelings for her. She looked down at the dying man beside her. "Jack, where did we go so wrong?"

A beeping caught her attention. She got up and went to the controls. Almost there. She turned off the autopilot and brought them out of hyperspace. The ship shook from a blast. She looked at the display. Two motherships were in orbit and had opened fire immediately. She tried to reengage the hyperdrive. No response. Damn. She began to move evasively as they fired. She knew she would most likely not be unable to out run them, but maybe she could hide until the damage was fixed. She turned to run when she saw the death gliders coming out. _Great_.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Calvary

"Surrender your vessel" came a booming voice over the communications system.

"Bite me." she muttered. _God I am getting more like Jack than I want to admit_. She looked at the display, she knew there was no way she could outrun the gliders. She tried to engage the cloak. It too was not working. _Dammit, give me a break!_

She then saw a hyperspace window open up and a ship appeared almost on top of them. In fact she was afraid for a minute they were going to collide.

She felt a flash of white. She and Jack were in the control room on Thor's ship. "Greetings Colonel Carter"

Thor's ship jumped to hyperspace.

"Thor, Jack is badly hurt, can you help him?"

Thor merely glanced at his controls and Jack disappeared. Sam looked around a moment and got up. "Where is he?"

"He is in the medical bay. His injuries were much too severe for me to heal here." Thor replied.

She turned to rush to the medical bay when a flash of light and Jack was suddenly in front of her. She didn't even think; she just jumped into his arms. Jack, who had just come back from near death, and now found himself perfectly fine and on an Asgard vessel, was even more shocked to find himself with an arm full of Carter. He shifted to balance her weight, and then cautiously wrapped his arms around her. "Colonel?"

"Dammit Jack, just stop. Okay. My name is Sam." The fierceness in her tone dared him to argue.

Jack glanced at Thor who was studying his readouts with extreme interest. He did not look up. "Okay, ah, Sam, you okay?

"I thought I'd lost you. I thought I would not be able to…" She shook slightly and Jack realized she was crying. He was confused. The last few days were sort of a blur. He remembered a few things. But he also knew that no matter what, Carter was here, with him and she was upset. He tightened his grip, and moved one hand to stroke her hair. He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm here now" he said.

She squeezed him harder.

After a few moments she got control of her emotions and looked up. She ran her hands over his ribcage and arms. Jack realized she was checking for injury.

"I'm good Car…Sam. All better."

She smiled. "Good. Because when I kick your ass for risking your life on such a stupid mission, I want you to be able to know which marks are mine."

He flinched a little. "Sam, it's not like it didn't need to be done. And I was the logical one to do it."

"How can you even think about doing that alone, knowing it was a setup?"

"Sam, setup or not, it was the best way to take care of the ship and base, as for being alone, Dad was with me. Besides, I certainly was not going to risk you, Teal'c or Daniel. You guys still have a lot of work to do. I left nothing behind but a mountain of unfinished paperwork. You guys still have a lot of kick ass work in the galaxy to do."

"What the hell do you mean you left nothing behind?" Her temper flaring.

He realized he was losing ground quickly. "Well…you are still there to watch over Cassie, and Teal'c can help you babysit Daniel. You've found a life and are happy…"

"Jack even if all that was true, that is no excuse for a suicide mission."

"Car…Sam, I'm tired. I am tired of pretending and I am tired of denying. I have spent most of my life protecting my country and the planet. It has gotten me nothing but heartache and loss. And then, just when I thought maybe, just maybe for once, I was getting a second chance…" His voice broke and he pulled away. He walked over the wall to collect his thoughts.

Sam felt the loss of him holding her but was unsure what step to take. She watched as his face registered the emotions he was feeling. Then she saw the familiar mask fall into place as he locked them down. She watched as he turned to walk up to Thor.

"Thor, thanks for the rescue. Oh and the medical help."

"You are welcome O'Neill." Thor replied. "I am glad I was able to arrive on time."

Jack looked at the controls a moment. "Heading to Earth?"

Sam narrowed her eyes. _Lucky guess, or did he know more than he let on about Asgard technology_?

"Yes, we have received reports of three advanced Goa'uld vessels heading for Earth." Thor replied.

"Aren't we still under the protected planets treaty?" Jack asked as Sam walked over. She noticed he tensed but did not move away.

"Yes, that is why I am moving to intercept."

Sam looked at him. "Thor, didn't you say that the new advanced mother ships could compete with Asgard technology?"

"The last time, when Anubis overpowered my ship, it was an older design, but yes, it is likely the Ga'ould advancements have continued." Thor replied. He turned on the view screen. It showed three Ga'ould ships moving past the moon to Earth.

"Thor, can you contact the SGC?" Jack asked.

"Yes. You may speak now."

Jack looked around, and then shrugged. "SGC this is O'Neill."

"Jack, this is Hammond. It is good to hear from you, but we are a little busy. Three ships…"

"We know General. Hold out a few more seconds, we are almost there." Jack replied.

"I hope you are bringing help Jack" Hammond replied.

"Working on it, sir."

They watched the screen as the Prometheus rose out of the atmosphere to meet the threat. They saw the Goa'uld spread their ships out in an attack formation.

Hammond watched this display on the screen. He knew the Prometheus was horribly outclassed by the three vessels, but with Jack off Earth, there was no one to operate the chair at Antarctica.

"Sir, look" Walter called out. Another ship shot out of hyperspace and spun around. They all watched in stunned silence as the new comer moved into position over the top of the Prometheus, dwarfing the smaller ship. Then they heard the communications open up.

"I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet. Your presence here is a violation of the Protected Planets Treaty between the Asgard and the Goa'uld. Leave now, or face battle. Challenge me at your peril."

Jack's eyebrows raised at Thor's unusually firm tone.

Jack and Sam looked at the vessels on screen. Neither spoke, to avoid breaking Thor's concentration. They waited to see what would happen.

Finally they hear a reply. "This is Ba'al. I do not fear the Asgard. I advise you withdraw before you are destroyed."

The communication was cut out and the ship on the left opened fire. The shots bounced off the Daniel Jackson's shields. The Daniel Jackson responded with her own return fire and the Goa'uld vessel disappeared in a fireball. "This ship is much more advanced than any design you have faced before. Again I urge you to leave."

Jack looked at display. The Goa'uld were moving to flank the Daniel Jackson. As they did, a hyperspace window opened and five more motherships came into orbit. "Uh, Thor, I hate to point this out, but we are getting outnumbered."

"I noticed"

"Can you pinpoint Ba'al's ship? Take him out and the others will not know what to do." Jack asked.

Both Sam and Jack looked at Thor as the Daniel Jackson was rocked with weapons fire. The Prometheus had also joined the battle to help, but was taking damage on a large scale.

Thor looked at the display. Jack could swear he was irritated. "This is your final warning. Retreat, or be destroyed."

Receiving no answer but Goa'uld weapons fire, he moved controls. The Daniel Jackson began returning fire at a furious rate. Jack noticed a beep and looked down at the display. "More inbounds" he said.

Sam was just about to ask who when four Asgard ships dropped out of hyperspace, firing immediately. The battle was over in minutes. The Asgard vessels formed up on the Daniel Jackson orbiting Earth.

Sam looked at Jack. "You think that is it for Ba'al?"

He sighed. "Most likely just one of his clones, but we won't know unless he turns up again."

"O'Neill, I need to speak with you." Thor stated.

"Sure, buddy" He turned to Sam. "Guess you probably should get back to…the important stuff." The sadness was evident in his eyes.

Before she could reply, she was standing in the control room at the SGC. "Colonel?" Hammond asked.

She turned and stood at attention. "Yes, sir." She noticed Daniel and Teal'c looking at her intently.

"Were you the ship with Jack?" Hammond asked.

"Uh, yes sir. He is still there. Thor wanted a word with him." Sam explained.

They looked back at the display with the five Asgard vessels overhead. The Prometheus had begun her descent in order to start repairs. Hammond looked at her. "Well, technically, you are still wanted for violating orders and being AWOL, but I think we can let that go. Turn in your weapons and come back up for debrief."

"Yes sir."

Sam dropped off her gear and turned in her weapons and returned to brief General Hammond. She explained everything that happened, leaving out the parts about Teal'c, Daniel, and Colonel Reynolds helping her out. No reason to get them in trouble.

Hammond sat and listened. He leaned forward. "Colonel, we know that this was driven by something high up. I suspect it is no coincidence that Ba'al chose to attack when Jack was not here to operate the chair in Antarctica."

"You think the Tok'ra set us up, sir?"

"I think someone did, and so does Jacob. He is on his way to see what he can find out." He sighed. "In the meantime, any idea what the Asgard are doing? They are just sitting there. They don't answer calls, and Jack has not returned."

"No sir, no idea at all. I expected General O'Neill to be returned by now." She replied.

"Okay, well, you are dismissed. Report back in two days, okay?"

"Sir…"

"Colonel?"

"I thought I might wait…"

"I am sure that if something happens we can handle it. If not, I will call. Besides, I recall Jack mentioning you had a pretty serious boyfriend now. Don't you think you should let him know you are okay?" Hammond asked.

Sam felt herself die a little inside. "Yes sir" She turned and walked out.

Daniel and Teal'c were waiting for her. "So, I take it you found Jack?"

"Yes, he was holed up in a cave where you found me. I managed to get him on the ship, but when I tried to get to a Stargate to get back to earth quicker, we ran into some more of Ba'al's friends. Thor bailed us out and brought us back."

"How is O'Neill?" Teal'c asked

"He was bad, real bad. I was losing him. But Thor healed him. He is good. He is up there, with them." Sam answered. She looked at Teal'c and Daniel. "Thank you for what you did on the planet. Not turning me in and leaving me ammo and the note."

"You are most welcome Colonel Carter." Teal'c replied.

"So, what is your next step?" Daniel asked.

"I've been ordered off base, so I am going to call Cassie, then I guess go home. What day is it anyway?"

She caught the strange look between Teal'c and Daniel. "What?"

"Uh, well, you may want to be prepared when you talk to Cassie. I think she may be upset and she may take it out on you." Daniel said.

"What? Why? She knew I was going to find J…General O'Neill."

"Well, somehow Pete got her phone number. He called wanting to know where you were. Of course, she couldn't tell him. Then, she went to check on your house, and he cornered her over there. They got in a big argument and she told him off." Daniel said.


	10. Chapter 10 - Rough Return

He could tell Sam's temper rising. Misinterpreting he quickly added "Sam, she didn't intend to be mean to Pete, she was just upset, then when he confronted her at your house, it was just too much for her. She called me and told me what happened so Teal'c and I went over."

Sam slowly let out her breath. She looked at Daniel through narrowed eyes.

Daniel squirmed. "Well, Pete was upset he didn't know anything. Cassie was crying and mad. Sam, I'm sorry, but I had to take up for Cassie. I told Pete to back off. He got even madder until Teal'c…well, Teal'c encouraged Pete to leave. Cassie got her things from your house and left. I am sorry Sam; we did not mean to cause trouble with Pete." Daniel looked sheepish. He backed away. Sam had still not said anything but to the people that knew her, they could tell she was very mad.

Daniel shrugged and said, "I'm sorry Sam. I just felt Cassie needed protecting." He turned and left. As Sam watched him walk away she saw Teal'c raise an eyebrow.

"I am aware that you have chosen to walk the path with Pete Shanahan, however, I will not apologize for protecting Cassandra Frasier. If that is unacceptable to you, then I do regret that I have damaged our relationship." With that he turned and followed Daniel.

Sam slowly counted to ease her mind. She was so mad she couldn't trust herself to even move, and she was also upset that her teammates and friends felt like they had to stand against her with Pete. She quickly turned and went to the elevator. When she got to the top she realized she did not have a car here. _Damn_. She looked over and saw a familiar truck. _Well_? She went back to the checkpoint and grabbed a piece of paper. She wrote a quick note, folded it and gave it to the SFs. "Give this to General O'Neill when he comes up to sign out. Oh, what day is it?"

The guard looked at her in suspicion while her partner answered "Friday Ma'am"

"Thanks" She then turned and ran to the truck. She had used Jack's truck a long time ago to bring home some parts for her bike and Jack had handed her spare keys. When she tried to give them back he simply said, "Keep them. You know where I park. Just let me know if I am going to need to walk."

She smiled at the memory as she climbed in. She adjusted the seat, and then pulled out.

As she pulled out the younger guard looked at her more experienced partner. He just smiled back. "She is SG1. You just learn to go with it. They get kind of weird."

"Didn't she just take the General's truck?"

"Yeah, well, like I said, you just learn to go with it. Besides, if anyone can get away with taking the boss's truck, it's her."

Sam pulled up to Jack's house. Her car was still in the driveway and Cassie's car was next to it. She jumped out of the truck and ran to the door. Using her key she flung it open. "Cassie?"

Cassie was sitting on the couch. She jumped up when Sam came flying into the house. "Sam?"

Sam moved over to her. Cassie just stood there. Sam ran over and wrapped her arms around her. "Cassie, I am so sorry what happened to you. Daniel told me. Sweetie, I am so sorry you had to deal with that."

She felt Cassie began to shake and knew she had started cry.

"I was so afraid you would be mad at me Sam. Mad because I got into a fight with Pete."

"No honey. Never. I am upset, but not at you. I told you, nothing means more to me than you. Believe me; I will talk to Pete about it. You are not going to have to deal with that again." She felt Cassie tense. She pulled back to study the young girl's face. "Cassie?"

Cassie looked down until Sam gently cupped her face and forced her to look up. "Sweetie, what is it?"

"Well, things got pretty heated. Daniel was really upset at Pete for yelling at me. Sam, he was madder than I knew he could be. When Pete shoved him, I think it would have been bad if Teal'c had not stepped in." She saw the look on Sam's face. "Daniel did not tell you that part did he?"

Sam shook her head.

"Yeah, Pete shoved Daniel and Teal'c stepped between them. I don't think Pete meant to hit Teal'c, I really don't…"

"Wait, Pete hit Teal'c?"

Cassie looked down again. "Well, when Pete shoved Daniel, he kind of…Daniel kind of hit him. When Pete swung back, Teal'c had stepped in between them. He caught Pete's fist, then knocked him to the ground." Cassie looked up. "Sam, I am sorry, look, I never meant to cause trouble between you and Pete." She had tears in her eyes. Then she looked down again. "I moved out of your house." She added quietly. I think it's for the best."

Sam felt tears well up in her eyes as well as the painful shock from knowing Cassie felt she had to leave. She moved to sit down. She looked up at Cassie. "Cassie, you do not have to move out. That house, and this one" she said indicating Jack's house "are yours." We both, Jack and I, love you very much. Neither of us ever wants you to feel like you cannot come to one of us or both of us. I will deal with Pete, but you need to know that I will not allow anything to chase you out of our house."

Cassie sat down beside her. "I take it you found Jack?"

Sam realized she had not even told her. "Yes, I found him" She went into the whole story and ended up by telling her Jack was still in Thor's ship in orbit and no one was answering hails.

"So what now?" Cassie asked.

"Well, I am hoping to find out something soon, but…" she was interrupted by her phone ringing. She looked at the caller ID. "SGC." She said to Cassie.

"Lt Colonel Carter" She answered.

She cringed "Yes sir." She hung up the phone.

"That was Hammond. The President wants me back at the SGC to talk to me along with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs."

"Are you in trouble?" Cassie asked.

Sam smiled at her. "I'm afraid so Cassie. I went against orders, stole equipment, and evaded apprehension to name a few things. I think there will be some reckoning in there."

"You want me to go with you?"

She hugged Cassie tightly. "No, Sweetie, I appreciate it, but I do not think you will want to wait for that, but if you do not mind, when it's over, I want to come back and visit."

"Of course you can. You know Jack said you can come over and stay anytime I was here." Cassie said brightly. "He even said there was no trouble with regulations since technically you two are my parents now. You are just looking after me."

Sam smiled. _So Jack. If you cannot ignore or break a rule, bend it into a pretzel_. She got up and walked to the door. "I love you Cassie"

"Love you too Sam."


	11. Chapter 11 - Powerful Friend

Sam took Jack's truck back to base. She did it without thinking, taking strength from his truck, his smell. Knowing that she was protected by something that was his. She pulled into her spot without thinking only realizing later that she probably should have parked it in slot marked 'Commanding General' _Oh well_. She took the elevator down.

When she arrived in the conference scene shocked her. The President was there, along with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force. General Hammond was also there. _Well, if I was not sure how deep a hole I dug, I am now_.

Daniel and Teal'c were also there, already seated at the table. She moved to join them; however, she stood at attention behind her chair. Hammond looked at her. "At ease, Colonel, please, sit down"

After everyone was seated, Sam glanced at the President. He noticed her glance. "Don't look me, Colonel, I didn't call this meeting."

Sam realized her mouth had dropped in shock. She closed it. "Sir?"

About that time a flash of light and Thor and Jack appeared. Jack realized who was in the room and popped to attention and saluted the President.

"Relax Jack" the President said. The he then studied Jack's appearance. Although healed, his uniform was still ripped to shreds, dirty, and copious amounts of blood all over it. "Jack, you okay? Need a doctor?"

Jack looked down and realized how trashed his uniform was. He looked back sheepishly. "Sir, I apologize for my appearance, but Thor here fixed me up. I am healthy."

Eyes turned to Thor. "Greeting President Hayes." He turned to the Chiefs. "I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet. I am honored to meet you."

"Uh, same here." The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs replied.

Sam looked around the room. She could tell she had missed a major dynamic here.

"As you know, the Asgard deployed several vessels in defense of your planet, in accordance with the protected Planets Treaty. However, of great concern to us is why we had to do so."

"Thor, we have the chair in Antarctica, but only Jack can operate it. None of us has the gene needed." Daniel answered.

"I am aware. I am also aware of how convenient it was to lure O'Neill away from Earth and leave you defenseless. We will give you the means to test more of your people more rapidly for the ability to operate the Ancient device, and help you train them to operate it. I am also, however, concerned over the fact that O'Neill was left with no attempt to retrieve him and that Lt Colonel Carter, was in fact, treated as a fugitive for helping him."

There was general shifting in the people looking at him. He continued. "Had Lt Colonel Carter not contacted me, there is a good possibility that O'Neill would not have been found in time and I would not have warning to come to your aid."

President Hayes stood up. "Thor, I apologize to General O'Neill and you. There were some political shenanigans going on that I was unaware of. As soon as I was…well, let's just say there has been some house cleaning."

"Carter?"

Everyone turned to Jack.

"I'm sorry" Hayes said.

Jack stood straight. "Sir, I think Carter should also be apologized to. She was simply doing what we all do here. We do not leave people behind."

Sam was stunned. She glanced at Daniel and Teal'c and saw they were equally shocked.

_Did Jack O'Neill just demand the President of the United States apologize to her_? She suddenly realized the Chiefs were looking at her. She wondered if they would notice if she crawled under the table.

Hayes let a small grin play across his face. "Of course" He turned to Carter. "Lt Colonel Carter, please accept the apologies of the President and I can assure that that there will be no remarks or negative comments made in your records or held against you."

Sam rose out of her chair. "Thank you sir." She replied, and then looked at the generals. "Sirs" She quickly looked down so they could not see her blushing.

Thor regarded them a moment. "The Asgard have long watched over your planet and it is well established that you are on your way to becoming the Fifth Race. With the defeat of the replicators and the Goa'uld, we now have more time to assist you in your progress. We will ensure that one of ships remains close at hand, in case there is any more direct assault on Earth. We will also, in the very near future discuss aiding you in installing Asgard upgrades to your own ships." He paused as this sunk in. He then raised a finger, "But, we do advise, that General O'Neill is friend to the Asgard and we consider him our ambassador to Earth. In times of need, he will, have the ability to speak to for the Asgard in terms of our friendship. We extend the same status to Lt Colonel Carter as well." He nodded, indicating the other members of SG1, "Doctor Daniel Jackson and the Jaffa Warrior Teal'c have both honored and fought for the Asgard, and we bestow Asgard citizenship to them as well."

The humans in the room all shared glances. Sam, Teal'c and Daniel looked at each other, and then to Jack. Jack's face remained impassive, eyes forward.

"I trust that the importance of these appointments is not lost on your people, President Hayes." Thor stated.

Hayes looked back at the alien. "Uh, no. And we appreciate it. I am sure I can speak for General O'Neill and Colonel Carter when I tell you that we all feel honored you trust them to be your ambassadors." He also got the hidden message. _Protect them and keep political agendas out of it_.

"Then I will return you to your original locations. President Hayes, I would be honored to be allowed to give you a tour of the Daniel Jackson prior to your return if that is okay. The Asgard Council would also like to request an audience."

Hayes looked at O'Neill who nodded slightly. "I would love to talk to them."

A flash of light, and they were gone. It took Sam a moment to realize that Jack had left as well. She looked at Hammond. "Sir?"

Hammond smiled. "I think that you and Jack and the rest of SG1 will not have to worry about political wrangling for a while. As I understand it, when Thor showed up in the Oval Office, it caused quite a bit of…well, let's just say people were surprised."

"He just showed up? And took the President?"

"No, no. But from what Henry told me, the request to accompany Thor here came across as something that should be answered only one way." Hammond stated.

"Sir, I understand you were forced to send teams to look for me?"

"Yes, after you left." He looked at Daniel who shifted uncomfortably, "Of course I did not find out you were gone until two days later you had left. I got orders to track you down for being AWOL as a security risk. I could not get hold of the President, and couldn't track down the source of the orders." Hammond stated.

"So you sent SG3?" Sam asked

"Well, Colonel Reynolds had already voiced his displeasure at the mission. I trusted he would make the correct decision when push came to shove."

"So what now?"

"Well, President Hayes has already accepted the resignation of four Generals with ties to the NID. He is also ordering an independent accounting of the NID. I actually mentioned Woolsey might be able to help. Like him or not, the man is good and uncovering facts. The President has also arranged it so that calls from the SGC are part of the established National Security Command Network, which in essence, means that any calls from here cannot be delayed or intercepted. He will be aware of every attempt to contact him."

"It is still hard to believe that people would gamble with Earth's safety like that." Daniel pointed out.

Hammond looked at him. "I honestly don't think they anticipated the assault on Earth. I think they were just glad to finally be rid of Jack. I think that was plan. Finding an excuse to marginalize Colonel Carter was just icing on the cake."

"Sir, why do they want to get rid of General O'Neill so badly? I mean I know he can be…" She didn't finish the statement.

Hammond smiled at the pause. "Abrasive, rude, short-tempered?"

Sam looked down "Well, yes, sir"

Hammond chuckled. "Because Jack has done more damage to the NID than anyone. In the process of getting me reinstated years ago, he blocked their maneuvering and began Kinsey's downfall. What you don't know is that he forced several minor NID operatives into the open, and made them ineffective. He arranged for Thor to show up when I needed support to keep the program out of Kinsey's control. He has managed to out maneuver them on several more occasions. I will let him decide whether he wants to share. Another reason is what you saw here. Whether Jack, or even us," he waved his arm, indicating himself and SG1, "want to admit it, his word carries a lot of weight here and on other planets. The Asgard deal primarily with him. The Tolans trusted him more than anyone else. The Nox also put great trust in him, as do several other races out there."

"But Jack doesn't care about power or politics; he should not be treated as a political chew toy. He could have been killed." Daniel said, visibly agitated that his friend, someone he considered a brother, who had given more to the safety of this planet was being used as a pawn.

"Exactly Doctor Jackson. That is why the people who crave that power fear him. Jack only cares about doing whatever it takes to protect the planet. He would never admit it, but he does believe in doing the right thing. But he will protect this planet" He glanced at Sam "and other things at the expense of his own life with no regard for anything else.

Sam felt another blush creep up. She knew the glance at her meant Hammond was aware that Jack had deep feelings for her and was very protective of her. _Well, he did until she ruined that_. She sighed.

Hammond looked at them. "You three are free to go. Take some time off. I do however, Colonel, need to speak with you on a personal matter." He rose.

Everyone stood up. Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other and nodded. After so long there was no need to speak. As Sam and Hammond moved to Jack's office, they sat back down to wait.

Hammond sat in the chair. "Sit, please."

Sam sat down. "Sir?"

"I understand you are in a serious relationship with a police officer? Pete Shanahan?" Hammond asked.

Sam squirmed. "Yes sir."

"Well, several weeks ago, he began making inquiries he shouldn't. He ran a check on Jack, Daniel, and Cassandra Frasier."

Sam gasped as Hammond held up his hand to stem her anger.

"He was questioned and he said he was trying to locate you and he knew your team and Cassie usually knew where you were or was with you."

"Sir, I am sorry…"

"Don't worry, Jack kept it out of the official reports. There will be no mentioning of it outside this office. Only I, you, and Jack know about it. But you need to talk to Pete and explain the need to stop digging into things he shouldn't. Next time, Jack may not be able to pull favors to cover it up and Pete could find himself in major trouble."

Sam nodded. She was a little amazed that Jack had protected Pete, but she knew he did it for her. She knew that once again, Jack had put his personal feelings aside to ensure she was protected.


	12. Chapter 12 - Accepting the Truth

"You are free to go Colonel." Hammond said.

"Thank you sir" Sam said as she rose. "Actually, I think I have to wait. I kind of borrowed General O'Neill's truck. He will need it to get home." She turned and walked out the door.

She saw Teal'c and Daniel at the conference room table. She started to walk to them when a flash of light and Jack reappeared. He looked around at his former team. "Think they would give me one of those to get to my cabin quicker?"

Daniel and Sam grinned while Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow.

"Well, kiddies, it has been fun, but I think I am going to go home, shower, drink a beer or ten, and pass out." He turned to walk out of the conference room. The rest of SG1 bolted after him.

Daniel caught him first. "Jack, you okay?" He asked relatively quietly.

"I am always okay Daniel. You know me, break a few rules and stir up intergalactic trouble, save the world." Jack replied with a smirk.

"Jack"

"Daniel, please, not now"

"I was just going to say Cassie is at your house. We need to discuss some things."

Jack stopped and looked at him. "Is she okay?" He gaze turned to Sam.

"Sir, I think it would be best if we all sat down and had a talk. Can we meet at your place?"

Jack looked at his former team. Then his gaze settled on Sam. She saw his eyes harden and she flinched. "Sure. But you have to figure out your own food." He turned and walked away.

As they signed out, the SF duly handed the note Sam had previously left for him to Jack. He looked confused a moment then opened the note and read it. He then glanced at Sam, who was looking at her shoes. "Borrowed my truck?"

"Yes sir. Sorry. My car was at your house and I needed a way to go…" she stopped.

"It's okay Colonel. Let's go."

Teal'c followed Daniel to his car while Sam and Jack headed for his truck. Sam was surprised when he headed to the passenger side.

"What? You drove it here. Besides, it might be nice to have a chauffeur."

She suppressed a grin as she climbed in. "Yes sir."

As they drove, Jack kept his gaze out the side window and made no attempt at conversation. She glanced over. She slowly blew out a breath. "Sir, General Hammond told me about you covering Pete's digging into the team. Thank you."

He did not look her way. "No problem, Colonel. I didn't see the need to let your boyfriend get into serious trouble for his…"

"Stupidity?"

She saw Jack somewhat start at that, but made no comment.

They pulled up to the house. Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise at the two cars in the driveway. "Guess I need to get a reserved slot at my own house."

"I will move my car, and put the truck in, sir."

"Relax, Carter, it was a joke. And I would rather your car be in the driveway than out on the street. Little safer."

"Yes sir."

They got out as a car pulled up. Assuming it was Daniel, they were both shocked to hear Pete call out Sam's name. Sam noticed Jack tense, but all he said was "I will be inside."

He looked up and noticed Cassie had come out onto the porch. She ran out and hugged him. "I am so glad to see you."

He hugged her tightly and said "Me too Cassie. I missed you." He glanced over his shoulder and he started to lead Cassie inside. He noticed Sam's stance was tense. Cassie stopped him and looked up.

"Cassie?"

"Sam may need your help." Was all she said.

"I don't think Sam needs anything from me Cass." He replied, sadness in his voice, however, he made no move to leave.

Sam glared at Pete. "Pete, why are you here?"

"I haven't seen or heard from you in days, and that is how you greet me?"

"Pete, you ran location checks on my team, you argued with Cassie and Daniel. Hell, you assaulted Daniel."

"Baby it wasn't like that…"

I have told you not to call me that."

"Sam, what the hell is going on?"

Sam was losing her control on her temper. She moved forward to Pete. "What happened is you chased my daughter out of her own house, you assaulted my family, and you started digging around into things that you shouldn't have Pete. Now just please go. Leave now, before you make things worse."

Jack could see Sam was losing control of her emotions. He moved forward slightly, to ensure she was aware he was there. He saw by the lightning quick glance in his direction she saw him, and her body relaxed some.

"I am not leaving until I get some answers Sam. You owe me that. Let's go somewhere where we can talk. Alone." He said, indicating O'Neill with his hand.

"Pete, I am staying here. With Jack. With Cassie. With my family."

"Sam, I know they mean a lot to you, but our future is…"

"Pete, there is no future for us. She moved closer to Jack. This is my present and my future. Here. These people." Her hand indicated Jack and Cassie.

Pete looked at her a moment. He looked at Jack and then Cassie. He looked at Sam. "Sam, please"

"I'm sorry Pete. I can't be what you need when my heart belongs to someone else. It is not fair to you, or me."

Pete sagged. "I hope he makes you happy Sam." He turned and walked away. As he got to the car, Daniel and Teal'c pulled up.

Jack walked over to Sam. He gently reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

She stood there a moment fighting back tears. Jack gently pulled her closer. She turned into him and laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. He held her and stroked her hair and Daniel, Teal'c and Cassie walked inside to give them some privacy.

"Sam, I am sorry it worked out that way between you two." He said.

She pulled back, sniffing. "I'm not. It was inevitable. My heart is with someone else. It has been for years. I just tried to deny it and it did not work."

Jack looked around; he gently led her around the side of the house to the back. They climbed to his rooftop viewing platform. "Sam? What is going on?"

She smiled. "I love you Jack. Simple. I love you."


	13. Chapter 13 - Family Reunion

Jack gazed at her a moment. "Sam, I love you too. I have for a long time and I always will. But I never meant for you to not be happy. I always wanted you to be happy."

She looked at him a moment, then shocking both of them, she moved closer and kissed him. At first he was stunned, then years of pent of feelings came out. He deepened the kiss. Finally the need for air took over. They broke apart. She looked at him. "Jack, I want you. I want us. I am tired of waiting. I am tired of everything else taking priority."

"Sam, you know…"

"Please, not tonight. No regulations, no rank, no military. Just you and I and family. Please Jack?"

He nodded. "I think I would like that very much." He said, and kissed her again.

As they broke the kiss, he pulled her back into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him again. "Sam, you know that I am here for you right? No matter what I will always be here for you."

"No more suicide missions, okay Jack? Please. I can't lose you." She tightened her hold on him.

He gently stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "I promise. I will talk to you before doing something stupid."

She giggled and then looked at him with a gleam in her eye and smirk on her face. "So we get a hotline phone between us?"

"Funny girl." He said as he kissed her. And then held her.

Sam relished the feel of being in his arms. She was enjoying the moment when she felt him shiver. She looked up "We need to get you inside."

He stepped back. "Yeah, these clothes just don't keep you warm with the ventilation modifications." He said with a smirk, pointing to a huge tear in the leg of his pants.

She took his hand and led him downstairs and inside to where Teal'c, Daniel, and Cassie were waiting. Jack noticed she maintained a firm grip on his hand and had no intention of letting it go, even in the presence of their friends. No. Family.

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a glance and smiled at each other. Cassie ran over to Jack and flung her arms around him again. "Jack, I am so glad you are okay."

Sam finally let go of Jack's hands and wandered to the kitchen while Jack hugged Cassie. "I missed you too Cassie. Don't worry; I will still be around to question future boyfriends."

Cassie laughed as she pulled back and looked up at him. "After you had your discussion with the last one, not too many boys are willing to talk to me."

"Well, no one is going to take advantage of you if I have something to say about it Cassandra." Jack said. He looked up and smiled brightly as Sam handed him a beer.

She handed a water to Teal'c and beer to Daniel as well and took a drink on her own beer. She noticed Cassie was looking at her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Jack.

Jack shrugged and looked at Cassie. "One. Here. And only ever if one of us four is with you."

"Thanks Jack." And she ran to the kitchen to get a beer.

Sam smirked at him, then grabbed his hand and began to lead him down the hall.

"Uh, Sam?"

"No offense Jack, but you really should take a shower." She stated.

Jack looked back at Teal'c and Daniel. "Indeed and I was going to mention it" followed him down the hall.

When they got to the bedroom, Sam put her beer down and put her arms around Jack's neck and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. When they finally broke apart, they held each other again.

"Jack, I want this. I will do whatever it takes to have it."

"Sam, I want it too. More than you know. Let me clean up, and get presentable. Then we can talk, okay?"

Reluctantly, Sam let go him. She reached up and gently kissed him again, and then grabbed her beer. "Hurry up, or I may join you."

Jack blushed as he gathered clothes and walked into the bathroom to clean up. When he got out, he admittedly did feel much better. He pulled on some sweats and walked out to join his friends.

Sam and Cassie were on the couch, Daniel and Teal'c on the chairs. Someone had started a fire in the fireplace. Jack was taken by how much this group was his family and how much this setting meant to him. He noticed Sam looking at him. He smiled as she held out her hand. He walked over and took her hand as he sat beside her. She looked at him. "My turn, if you don't mind."

"Uh, no. Your stuff is under the sink."

Seeing the surprised look on Daniel's and Cassie's face and the raised eyebrow on Teal'c he quickly added, "What? She has stayed a couple of times after team nights in the past. You don't expect her to use my stuff do you?"

Sam giggled as she kissed his cheek and got up to go down the hall. Sure enough, under the sink was Shampoo, conditioner, and body soap. All the same stuff she used at home. Her eyes watered up as she realized he must have bought this after the last team night when they all had had too much to drink, and he didn't let them drive home. _That was so long ago, but so typical Jack. He bought it for her, didn't mention it, but had it here, for her, just in case_.

After she came out of the shower, she found a pair of sweats and one of his hockey shirts set out of her. She again smiled as she put them on. She noticed he had left out a pair of slipper socks for her as well. They were her size. She was going to have to ask him about that one.

She came back into the kitchen, stopping off to pick up more beer and bring into the living room. Handing out the beer, she sat down. Seeing Cassie look at her she smiled, "You had your one, Cass."

Cassie smiled and stated "I know. And I appreciate it. I have water." She held up the water bottle.

Daniel looked at Jack. "So, Jack, can you tell us how you pulled it off?"

Jack shifted as Sam leaned into him. He put his arm around her shoulders. He watched to see if anyone reacted, and noticed he got grins all around. Well, three grins and a slight upturn at the corner of the mouth, which for Teal'c was practically a teeth showing smile.

"Well, Dad and I got to the planet, and of course, immediately stumbled onto a patrol. So, dealing with that, we got into the complex, where we ran into more of them. I made Jacob head back and I dealt with the Jaffa. Standard stuff, traded insults, traded shots, blew up the hallway to bury them all. Anyway, I was hurt so I holed up to patch myself up. I had a pretty good hole up, so I waited and found another way in. I managed to blow the ship. Of course, they were mad and looking for retribution. I made my way to the gate and since I was a low on ammo, decided I needed to leave. Sam found me in the cave I hid in. I just did not have enough strength to pilot the ship and anyway, if Jacob had gotten back, he would have taken it."

Sam knew by the bodies she saw and the glossed over way he told his story, he left out much of the more violent aspects.

Daniel spoke up. "The Jaffa we found at the gate?" He looked at both Sam and Jack.

Jack winced slightly. "He followed me in. He tried to talk me into dying for him, but I didn't feel like so…"

Daniel just nodded. He noticed both Sam and Cassie were leaning on Jack now. Cassie's eyes were lowering. Daniel inclined his head in her direction.

Jack looked down. He gently shook her. "Cassie, it's late Sweetheart, why don't you go to bed."

She sat up and looked at him. "I'm good."

Sam sat up at looked at her. She knew what was going on.

"Honey, it's okay. Jack is not going anywhere. He will be here in the morning when you wake up."

Jack watched as Cassie looked from Sam back to Jack. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "No work?"

Sam laughed. "I promise. I will make sure of it."

Jack raised his eyebrows at her, but knew better than say anything.

"Okay" Cassie said. She hugged Jack and kissed his cheek and then got up and did the same for Sam, then walked over hugged Daniel and Teal'c kissing them on the cheek as well. All three humans smirked as they knew that there were very few people Teal'c allowed to just walk up and touch him like that, and they were all in this room. Cassie walked to the door to the basement room. "Good night"

"Goodnight Honey" Sam called out.

She noticed Jack looked tired as well. "You need to sleep as well."

He just nodded. Teal'c got up. He looked at Daniel. "Daniel Jackson, give me your keys and I will drive us home."

Jack and Sam grinned as it took a minute for Daniel to register what Teal'c had said.

"Right." He dug in his pockets and handed Teal'c his keys as he got up as well. He looked at Jack.

"Jack, I am really glad you are safe." He walked over and gave Jack a 'man hug'.

"Me too Space Monkey."

After they left, Sam began to pick up bottles. "Sam, leave it. You need to rest as well."

As they went down the hall, Jack turned. "You know, if you want…what I mean is…well…"

She grinned and took his hand and led him to the bedroom. She went to the side she knew he did not sleep on and pulled back the covers. "Is this what you were trying to say?"

He smiled. "I was going to get it out."

She grinned. "Can I borrow a T-shirt to sleep in?"

He turned and handed her a T-shirt out of his drawer and then went into the bathroom to give her some privacy. When he got out, she went in.

When she got out, she noticed the light on her night stand was on and he was facing away from the door, lying on his side. She smiled and walked over and slid into the bed. She turned off her light as he turned onto his back. She scooted over to him and kissed him, then cuddled into him, her head on his chest. "I love you Jack."

"I love you too Sam."

They were asleep in minutes.

The next morning, neither one noticed the door to the bedroom open nor a young red headed girl poking her head in. Seeing the two cuddled up together, she girl just smiled, and gently closed the door. "About damn time" she said as she walked back down the hall.


	14. Chapter 14 - Protective Conclusion

A couple of hours later Jack woke up to feel a weight on his chest. He looked down to see a blonde head lying on his chest. Sam had shifted so she was practically lying on top of him. Her leg was on top of his, her arm across his chest. He smiles and stroked her hair, running his fingers gently through it. She shifted slightly.

"Feels good." She murmured.

He stopped his hand so as not to wake her up. He looked down to see sleepy blue eyes looking at him. "Don't stop" she said with a mock pout.

"I didn't mean to wake you up." Jack stated.

"I want to wake up like this all the time." She moved up and kissed him passionately.

Jack began to feel his body respond and he broke the kiss. "Um, Sam, I think maybe…"

She giggled, "Sidearm?"

"Nope."

She laughed. "I meant what I said Jack. I want this. If I have to retire and work as a civilian I will."

"Sam, you will not retire. I will talk to Hayes and Hammond. Give me a few days. Okay?" He replied.

"I trust you Jack." She said as she kissed him again.

Neither one noticed the door open. "When you two quick acting like love sick teenagers, breakfast is ready." Cassie stated with a smile on her face.

As they came down the hall, they noticed Cassie had made a full breakfast for them and set the table. She smiled at them as they came in. "I figured you slept long enough."

They ate and enjoyed the familiar feeling. Cassie kept eyeing them. Finally Sam asked her. "Cassie, is there something you need to say?"

"Are you two finally coming to your senses and admitting you need each other?" She asked. "Cause if not, Daniel, Teal'c and I are going to lock you in the basement until you do."

Jack smiled at her. He looked at Sam as she grabbed hold his hand. "Yes, Cassie, I think so. I think we are finally ready to take that step."

Nine months later Jack was pulling out his Christmas decorations from the shelf where they were stored. He moved the boxes into a pile in the garage, careful not to get to close to the covered machines in the front of the garage. He had cleaned out the garage finally. Sam had teased him when she realized he actually had been genuinely surprised to find out the floor of the garage had a grayish epoxy coating on it as opposed to the finished concrete. Well, he had needed to clean it out for a while. He looked up as a familiar car pulled into the driveway. He smiled as the tall beautiful blonde stepped out. He walked over to give her a kiss. "Hi there beautiful"

She giggled "Jack, I was only gone for two hours, what are you doing?" She looked at the center of the garage where the decoration boxes had been piled.

"Well, this will be our first Christmas together, so, well…I thought maybe you might want to look at some of this and pick out what if anything you wanted to keep and the rest we can get rid of." He stated looking at the pile.

She smiled as she walked over to the boxes. The top box showed some hand painted ornaments through the clear cover. She could see they had been done by a child's hand. She glanced back at back at Jack. Seeing where she was looking, he smiled slightly. "Charlie."

She took his hand in hers and kissed his cheek. "Those go inside, and not in the garage, and if you let me, they will go on the tree when we put it up."

"Really?"

"Of course, Jack. I would be honored to share that with you." She looked around. "Now let's move this into the house so I can pull my car in the garage. Cassie is on her way, and Teal'c and Daniel should be coming by tonight." She picked up some of the boxes and headed in, throwing a glance at the covered motorcycles at the front of the garage. She thought how long she had known Jack, not knowing that he in, fact, had a highly customized Harley that he rode. He had never mentioned it to her until she had brought her motorcycle over to put in his garage. Now the Indian and the Harley stood side by side, waiting for the promised spring ride they were taking together across the country.

After bringing the boxes in, and putting her car in garage and lowering the door, they sat inside on the couch, drinking hot chocolate. They heard the door open and Cassie came in. "I'm home!" she yelled loudly.

Jack winced. "Cassie, we are right here. You don't have to yell."

"Yeah, well, you both were on the couch the last time I came home, and look how that turned out." Cassie stated with a grin on her face.

Sam blushed deeply at that memory. Cassie had come home to surprise them on a three day break from school. Surprise them she had.

Jack merely shrugged and looked down. "Yeah, well, we didn't know you were coming that time."

Cassie laughed as she put down her bags and came over to give them both hugs and kiss their cheeks. "Obviously. And there are some things kids just do not need to see their parents doing." She laughed.

"So how was your semester at school?" Sam asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Good." She sat down on the coffee table in front of them. Jack never really seemed to mind, but Sam raised her eyebrows at her. She quickly scooted to the chair. "Can I ask a question? It's kind of big deal."

Both Jack and Sam exchanged a look and sat forward. Jack looked at her. "Do you want to just talk to Sam?"

"No. I want to talk to both of you." Cassie said. She looked at them and continued. "You know I graduate in two more semesters, and I was wondering…"

"Cass, what is it?" Sam prodded.

"I think I would like to go to medical school and maybe join the Air Force, like mom." Cassie stated.

Jack and Sam exchanged smiles. Jack spoke first. "Cassie, I think that if that is what you want to do, then…" He looked at Sam to see her nod, "I think that is what you need to do. We will both back you in whatever you choose to do. And we both know that Janet would be extremely proud of you no matter what you did, but to know you are following in her footsteps would make her so happy." He felt Sam's reassuring squeeze on his hand.

Cassie smiled. "Thanks guys." She frowned. "Medical School is awful expensive."

Sam spoke up this time. "Cassie, your mother made sure your college was funded, and if there is more needed, then Jack and I will help you out."

Cassie jumped up and threw her arms around both of them. "I love you guys. Thanks for being so wonderful to me."

They both hugged her back. She stood up. "Umm…one more thing. Sam, can I talk to you a moment alone in the kitchen a moment?" She said eyeing Jack with apprehension.

Surprised, Sam got up and followed her into the kitchen. Jack had to admit that his curiosity was getting the better of him when they came back out. They both stood in front of him. He noticed Cassie stood slightly behind Sam.

"Jack, I want your word you will listen to me and behave." Sam said. Her voice was firm, but Jack could see she had just the hint of a smile.

"Okay." He said cautiously.

"Cassie has a boy coming to pick her and take her to the movies tonight." Sam stated.

Seeing Jack's eyes widen as they darted to Cassie who moved a little more behind her, Sam held up her hand. "Jack, he is coming here to pick her up. Cassie told him he had to get our approval before they could date. Now I want you to be on your best behavior and give the man a chance."

"Man?! How old is this guy?"

"He is the same age I am Jack. He is really nice. Not like…well, you know." Cassie said.

Jack looked at Sam. He could tell that while she was enjoying watching his discomfort, she was serious about behaving.

"I will give him a chance." Jack said.

"Thank you" Sam said as she moved to sit back down.

"One chance" He muttered. "Ow!" he rubbed the arm Sam had hit.

"Behave." She said with a smirk.

While Sam helped Cassie take her bags downstairs Jack opened his phone and sent a quick text. He sat on the couch sipping his hot chocolate. Sam came back up the stairs. She walked over to the couch. She looked over at Jack. _Uh oh_. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Jack, what are you up to?"

Jack looked at her. "I am just sitting here. Why do you think I am up to something?"

"I know you and I know your looks Jack O'Neill. You promised to behave tonight when Cassie's date shows up." She said with her tone dropping to a level that let Jack know she was serious.

"I will behave. I gave you my word. Trust me."

She watched him a moment longer. She was still suspicious, but decided to let it drop.

Later as Cassie, Jack and Sam sat at the table researching medical schools they heard the doorbell ring. Jack got up. "I got it." He walked to the door.

Sam and Cassie looked over as Jack walked back in leading Teal'c and Daniel. Recognition dawned in Sam's eyes as she glared at Jack.

"Hey guys" Daniel said as he gave Cassie a quick hug. He noticed the death stare from Sam at Jack and decided to stay on the other side of the table. He smiled at Sam and waved. "Uh, hi Sam."

Sam got up and slowly walked around the table, making sure her gaze didn't leave Jack. She hugged Daniel. She then walked over and hugged Teal'c and then moved over to stand beside Jack. She took his hand in hers. "Sit down guys, Jack and I will get drinks." She tightened her grip on Jack's hand and pulled him after her into kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen she turned loose his hand, taking pleasure in the fact he rubbed it to ease the tension she had put in it. "Jack O'Neill, you promised me." She said, her voice low.

He looked at her. He knew he was walking dangerously. "Uh, well, actually, I am behaving. I will behave. Just like I promised." He smiled.

"Uh huh. And I suppose Teal'c and Daniel coming over early was just happenstance?" She asked, trying hard to sound irritated.

"Umm. Maybe?"

"Jack, if Teal'c hurts that kid, you will be in so much trouble." She warned as she took soft drinks out of the refrigerator. When he reached for beer, she slapped his hand. "Oh no. No beer for anyone until later. I am not throwing alcohol into the mix."

They made their way back to the table to hand out the drinks. Sam flashed an evil eye look at Teal'c who merely regarded her impassively.

The conversation soon turned to Cassie's plans for medical school and enthusiastic support of Daniel and Teal'c. They looked at the schools under consideration and Daniel promised to check into the current ratings of the school. He sent a knowing glance at Jack and Sam smirked. He was going to check out the party atmosphere of the school and report back to Jack. They were still talking when the doorbell rang. Cassie looked at her watch. "Oh, that's Steve. I forgot about the time. I'm not even ready." She started to get up when Teal'c stood.

"Go and prepare Cassandra Frasier. I will admit the man who wishes to be your suitor." He turned and walked to the door.

Cassie threw a nervous glance at Sam then back to Teal'c. She went to go get ready.

Sam, Daniel, and Jack hopped up to watch as Teal'c opened the door. The kid at the door took a step back at the sight of the imposing Jaffa. "Uh, I'm here to pick up Cassie." He said weakly.

Teal'c merely stared at him a moment, eyes moving up and down, taking in his appearance. "You must first prove you worth to her family, starting with her guardians. Come this way." He said stepping aside and indicating the boy should walk inside the house.

Steve visibly paled for a second, then nodded and walked in, noticed the big man closed the door and followed quickly. He walked into the living room to see a taller, distinguished older man standing in the middle of the room, regarding him closely. His dark eyes revealed nothing. Next to him was a very attractive blonde woman. Those must be Cassie's guardians judging by her description. He had also heard about the man from other people at school. He had been warned that one of Cassie's guardians was a military man who may actually be insane. The younger man standing next to Cassie's guardians looked at him with a smile. He seemed nice enough, but for some reason, Steve could sense he could be dangerous as well.

Steve waved. "Hello" He came over to shake Jack's hand. "I'm Steve. You must be General O'Neill."

The blonde woman nudged him and the general offered his hand. "Yes, I am Cassie's overprotective father figure."

Steve watched as the woman elbowed him and muttered "You promised."

The man looked sheepish a second then said, "This is my fiancée Samantha Carter, this is Daniel Jackson, and the man who let you in is Murray."

"Nice to meet you." Steve said. He felt nervous with the imposing presence of Teal'c standing literally inches behind him so he shifted so he could see them all.

Teal'c spoke first. "Tell us of your plans for tonight."

"Uh, I…we were going…well, you know…I was thinking maybe dinner and then a movie." He answered.

"I see. You will of course, act as a gentleman the whole time." Teal'c responded.

Sam took pity on the boy seeing him flinch. "We are all just a little protective of Cassie. She is family."

"I understand Ma'am." Steve replied.

Cassie came back out and could immediately see that Steve was floundering under the scrutiny. She had known as had Sam that Jack had gotten around his promise to behave by ensuring Teal'c and Daniel were here to meet Steve. She could tell Teal'c's imposing presence was terrifying him.

"Guys, it's just a movie." She pleaded.

Steve looked up and was visibly relieved to see her. Then his expression turned to one of awe. "Cassie, you look beautiful."

Both Jack and Sam exchanged glances. They both could tell immediately that comment had come out without a thought to who was in the room. It was an honest sentiment. Jack was never going to admit it, but he mentally checked a box in Steve's favor.

"Thank you. I see you met my overprotective family." Cassie stated.

"Umm…yeah, they are great." Steve replied.

Daniel finally spoke up. Moving closer he asked "So, Steve, what is your major at college?"

"Oh, Aeronautical Science sir."

"Oh well, that should keep you busy then." Daniel noted.

"Yes sir, not a lot of chance to party. I have to work to keep my grades up. I hope to intern at the JPL this next summer." Steve replied.

Cassie realized they would interrogate Steve all night if given the chance. "I think we should probably go."

"Of course, let's go" Steve said so quickly that the others suppressed a grin.

Teal'c inclined his head. "I shall escort you to the door." He turned and followed them.

Jack spoke up as they walked away. "Cass, remember our deal."

She sighed in joking exasperation. "I remember Jack."

Sam looked at Jack with raised eyebrows.

"No drinking and call if she needs to picked up. I will come get her anytime, anyplace, no questions asked." He stated to the unasked question.

Sam smiled and wrapped her arm around his waist as they watched Teal'c escort the two to the door.

As they walked out, Teal'c spoke again. "Cassandra Frasier will be home at eleven pm. That is not a negotiable item. And I will be most displeased if she comes back in any state of disarray." His eyes bored into Steve.

"Umm, yes sir. You have my word sir." He quickly walked to the passenger door of his car and opened it while Cassie gave Teal'c a hug.

"I love you guys. But I kind of like this one, so don't hurt him, okay?"

Teal'c inclined his head. He watched Cassie get in the car and then watched as Steve walked to his side and got in. He watched the entire time the car backed out of the driveway until it was out of sight. He finally turned to walk inside.

Sam looked at the three. "You guys, that was so mean. That poor kid was scared to death. And Jack, you promised."

Jack held his hands up. "Hey, I didn't do anything."

"Oh, so siccing Teal'c on him wasn't mean?"

Jack squirmed a little. "But I did behave."

Sam shook her head as Jack pecked her on the lips. "That does not get you out of trouble, mister" but she smiled.

She noticed Daniel had the local section of the newspaper out. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just thought Teal'c might want to catch a movie."

"Indeed."

Sam knew she had to put a stop to this. "Oh no you don't. You three march your butts in there and sit down. You are not going to follow them to the movie and spy on them. Cassie will never forgive you."

They sat in the living room and talked. It was obvious to Sam that Daniel and Teal'c were going to stay until Cassie came home. She smiled at how much this group was a family. She leaned into Jack and he wrapped his arm around her as she sighed in contentment. Jack looked her. "You okay?"

"I'm great Jack. I love you."

"I love you too Sam."


End file.
